Dear faculty members at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
The academic year will begin on Sunday, October 23rd, 2022, and I wish you a fruitful, successful, and enjoyable teaching and research year. Below are some highlights on teaching and research:
Teaching
In the coming academic year, I ask all of us emphasize the return of our students to classrooms. The presence of students in class is critical for meaningful learning and, in general, for academic success. Please encourage the students to be present in classes, either through a requirement for mandatory attendance or through effective incentives for class attendance, such as exams or assignments that will take place in class and earn credit. The experience of many lecturers shows that such simple measures increase the attendance rate even without it being formally enforced. Of course, you must make sure that these requirements and incentives appear clearly in the course syllabus.
It is very important that most of the courses are recorded. The recording of the lessons may contribute to learning, if the students listen to them again after the lesson or before the test. The recordings are also useful for those who had to be absent from classes for reasons beyond their control (army reserves, childbirth, etc.). However, it is important that the students know that the recordings do not replace the lesson, and that those who are satisfied with the recordings alone harm the quality of learning and even their chances of succeeding in the course.
Therefore, we decided that in most cases there will not be a "live" transmission of recorded lessons. The course staff has several options, from opening the recordings to all students enrolled in the course shortly after class, through opening the recordings only to those who were absent from class due to a justified reason, to opening the recordings for viewing at a specified time before the final exam. You also have the right to object to recording the course, but I would like to ask you to avoid exercising this right as much as possible. Please be sure to indicate the format chosen for your courses in the syllabus.
Research
Our mission is to create groundbreaking science. Science and research are the factors that drive the university, not only from the research aspect but also as a fundamental element in the teaching and training of students who will in the future lead Israeli society to the challenges of tomorrow. One of the Rector's main roles in my opinion is to help promote research. Later in the semester I will send a letter detailing the steps I intend to take on this matter. In the meantime, I will note that the Rector's office, through the strategic unit, has conducted extensive analyses of our research results in recent years. We continue to intensify the research on the subject and will present the insights from these analyses later.
In the meantime, I would like to point out that in my view, our identity as a leading research university requires each and every one of us to publish our research results on the most leading academic platforms. In other words, our goal should be to emphasize quality—to publish in the most competitive and leading journals and book publishers in the field of research in which we operate, that is, those ranked in the top 10%, and at least in the top quarter, of the competitive publication index in the field. To my understanding, this strategy is also compatible with expected changes at the national level (the new VATAT model, which is in the final stages of formation, will likely put more emphasis on quality over quantity, and this will have a critical impact on the universities' budget), and it will also likely contribute to our continued progress in the international university rankings. Obviously, these indices are far from being flawless. And yet, they are of considerable importance in recruiting faculty, research students, and donations. As mentioned, we are looking into this issue and will get back to you with more details later.
My presence on all campuses
During the entire school year, I will leave the Mount Scopus campus every Thursday and sit in one of the other campuses, in order to get to know all the units in the university better. I would very much like to meet with faculty members at the campus where I will be working that day. My priority would be to meet in your office or laboratory. Those interested in arranging a meeting, please do so by emailing Frances (francesn@savion.huji.ac.il), who is responsible for managing my schedule (and that of quite a few rectors before me). I would be happy to hold such meetings also for faculty members at the Mount Scopus campus during the rest of the week. You are more than welcome to contact me directly on any subject, however it is best to contact me by email (rector@savion.huji.ac.il) so that we can make sure that the matter is handled in the best way. My mobile phone number is 0522861501.
This is my first letter to you as Rector. I will try to study our complex university as quickly as possible. In the meantime, I am excited and full of gratitude for the wonderful role you have entrusted to me. I would like to thank Prof. Lilach Sagiv, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, and Prof. Avi-Hai Hovav, Vice Rector for Research, for agreeing to continue serving in their positions. And finally: a thousand thanks to Barak for the wonderful job he did as Rector.
Wishing all of us a successful year!
Tamir